ESG conversation during the pandemic + Mexico’s business council proposal

Espero que tu y tu familia se encuentre bien y bienvenido de nuevo a nuestro blog sobre ESG. Esta semana quisiera compartir algunos recursos de la comunidad financiera que me parecen interesantes para enseñar cómo está evolucionando la conversación sobre ESG a lo largo de esta pandemia. También pondré las citas de lo que creo que es lo más relevante de cada uno de ellos.

Jamie Dimon de JP Morgan

• “Our actions during this global crisis are essential to keeping the global economy going and will be remembered for years to come.”
• “I want to focus on what we as a bank can do to remain strong, resilient and well-positioned to support our colleagues, clients, customers and communities across the globe.”
• “It is in the toughest of times that we need to use our capital and liquidity to help clients – large and small.”
• “During this pandemic, we have also taken extensive steps to protect and support our employees and their families.”
• “A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE COMPANY IS A STRONGER COMPANY”
• “We make extraordinary efforts to lift up our communities, especially in challenging times.”
• “This can be a moment when we all come together and recognize our shared responsibility, acting in a way that reflects the best of all of us.”

WEF hablando de los principios para los grupos de interés en la era de COVID

• “We will continue to embody “stakeholder capitalism” and do all we can to help those who are affected, and help secure our common prosperity.”
• “To employees, our principle is to keep you safe.”
• “To our ecosystem of suppliers and customers, our principle is to secure our shared business continuity.”
• “To our end consumers, our principle is to maintain fair prices and commercial terms for essential supplies.”
• “To governments and society, our principle is to offer our full support.”
• “To our shareholders, our principle remains the long-term viability of the company.”

Schroders hablando sobre el nuevo contrato social

• “MSCI ESG Leaders indices have outperformed their mainstream counterparts in most geographies, albeit modestly in most instances.”
• “ESG leaders have so far seen smaller earnings per share (EPS) cuts than ESG laggards.”
• “Companies’ treatment of their customers, employees and suppliers is under greater scrutiny than ever before.”
• “It is reasonable to expect that companies that attract positive recognition will see greater loyalty from their staff and be more able to attract new recruits after the crisis.”
• “…could also see market share shift to companies that are deemed to have ‘done their bit’ during the crisis.”
• “As investors, our job remains the same: we focus on identifying those companies that have the best potential for sustainable growth over the long term, underpinned by strong relationships with their stakeholders.”

JUST Capital enseña lo que los 100 empleadores más grandes de Estados Unidos están haciendo en la crisis

• “Many companies have already stepped up to support their workers, customers, and local communities. We’ve created the following tracker — starting with America’s 100 largest public employers — to help assess what’s happening on the ground, elevate best practices, and share what good looks like in this rapidly shifting landscape.”
• Sólo 7% de las empresas en esta muestra han anunciado recortes de personal.
• 64% ya anunciaron algún plan para ayudar a sus clientes de alguna forma.
• 11% anunciaron sueldos menores para su equipo ejecutivo.

Masja Zandbergen from Robeco

• “…This crisis reinforces the fact that sustainable development is the only way forward.”
• “We also see that companies are quick to adapt to taking measures that they were reluctant to take in the past.”
• “…in this situation we will be assessing on a case by case basis the prudence of companies when it comes to dividend payouts and share buybacks.”
• “We will also be critical of remuneration proposals for board members.”
• “When it comes to employees, we expect company responses to the coronavirus to be a proxy for their broader approach to human capital management.”

Pasando a noticias más locales, el Presidente del Consejo Coordinador Empresarial ayer lanzó una convocatoria para un acuerdo nacional para efrentar la contingencia económica de COVID-19. El objetivo de la propuesta es unir a gobierno, empresarios, empleados, y el sector social para salvaguardar el empleo, sentar bases para la recuperación, evitar crisis de solvencia en las familias y contar recursos para programas sociales. Para lograr esto se proponen varias cosas para los siguientes tres meses incluyendo diferir ciertos pagos (de cuotas de seguridad social en algunos sectores), generar algunos programas de liquidez, proyectos de inversión, entre otros.

Como se puede ver en todo esto, los inversionistas, empresas y asociaciones que reconocen la seriedad de su posición y la responsabilidad que ella conlleva (y tienen la oportunidad de hacerlo) consideran la implicación para sus diferentes grupos de interés de sus acciones tanto en épocas buenas como malas. Creemos que esto será la clave para el éxito en el largo plazo de todas estas relaciones.

Espero esta información haya sido de tu interés. Como siempre, si hay algo en lo que pudiéramos ayudar, o si hay un tema de ESG del cual quisieras saber más, por favor háznoslo saber para considerarlo en versiones futuras.

Saludos,

Marimar

Socia, Miranda ESG

Las lecturas recomendadas de esta semana

• Letter: Perhaps the new alpha mantra should be ESG materiality
• COVID-19 demonstrates the need to address ESG risks in supply chains
• Corporate governance has fundamental role in times of crisis, specialist says
• Big data shows Covid-19 reshaping ESG; UN PRI’s long-term crisis plan; sustainable funds stand tall
• ESG Stock Resilience Is Paving the Way for a Surge in Popularity